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Pretty much from Day One, I’ve read to my daughter every night before bed and over the years, we’ve discovered some really interesting and fun books that have become favorites of ours. We come back to these stories over and over and find ourselves loving them no matter how many times we’ve read them. We especially love rhyming books with clever turns of phrase, so you’ll find plenty of those kinds of books on this list along with some of our very favorite stories written in prose. Most of our favorites are also books in a series and once you read one, you’ll seek out the rest just like we did! On to the list.
By Calef Brown
Odd and interesting is probably the only way to describe this book of poems by Calef Brown. In fact, all of his books feature some truly offbeat characters and dream-like illustrations that will leave you wanting more! Every poem tells a little story that gets your mind buzzing and keeps you turning from page to page. You can’t help yourself because each one is equal parts bizarre and silly, strange and wonderful.
Other books by Calef Brown:
By Josh Funk (Author) and Brendan Kearney (Illustrator)
If puns—especially clever food puns—are your thing, then the Lady Pancake and Sir French Toast series is for you! There’s no shortage of intrigue in the unexpected, hidden world that lives in your refrigerator. Adults and kids will both love the tongue-in-cheek nature of these stories and just when you think there can’t be more food-related turns of phrase, you’re delighted and surprised by what you read. Each book features a fold-out end page with a map of the complete adventure that kids will insist on using every time to retrace the steps of our two food-based heroes!
More books from this series:
By Jon Klassen
Subtle humor and deadpan delivery are the hallmarks of The Hat Trilogy—a series of books about hats that are lost and then found and the animals who may or may not own them. The books are sparsely worded which makes them easy for readers of any age and the beautiful illustrations add to the stories with visual humor that’s woven in “between the lines”. Each book in the series is something of an “inside joke” that you, as an observer, get to be a part of.
Other books in this series:
You might also enjoy:
Sam and Dave Dig a Hole by Mac Barnett (Author) and Jon Klassen (Illustrator)
By Adam Rubin (Author) and Daniel Salmieri (Illustrator)
Old Man Fookwire is your classic curmudgeon. He likes what he likes and you’d better not disturb the status quo! One of the things he likes is painting pictures of the birds that visit his backyard feeders. Unfortunately for him and his feathered friends, it’s not long before a group of hungry squirrels lays claim to the all-you-can-eat buffet. Fookwire comes up with increasingly ingenious ways to keep the squirrels out of the food while the squirrels are working equally as hard to find any loophole they can for a free meal. Hilarity ensues.
We were first introduced to Adam Rubin and Daniel Salmieri through Dragons Love Tacos and Dragons Love Tacos 2: The Sequel, which are great books on their own. Be sure to check them out. You just might learn a thing or two about dragons that you never knew before!
Other books in the series:
By Andy Rash
This collection of short poems is a laundry list of things that young readers might have cause to be worried about…but probably not. If your imagination got away from you after one-too-many late night B-movie classic horror films and found its way onto paper, this would be your ultimate collection of “fears”. From robots gone berserk, to giant ants, mad scientists, clones and werewolves, clever rhymes and quirky illustrations set this book apart from your average bedtime storybook. It was an instant favorite with us and we think you’ll really like it too!
By Andrea Beaty (Author), David Roberts (Illustrator)
Rosie is one of “The Questioneers”—creative, inquisitive and adventurous children who dream, wonder, learn and grow as they use their unique talents to find their way in the world. This series of New York Times bestselling picture books introduces readers to Rosie Revere, Engineer as she tries, fails and tries again on her way to becoming a great inventor. Let Iggy Peck, Architect encourage the builder in your child or draw inspirations from Ada Twist, Scientist as she sets her inquisitive mind to solving problems she encounters in her everyday life. Each book in the series is cleverly written in rhyme and illustrated in a unique, approachable style for kids that’s sure to capture their attention and imaginations!
More great books in this series:
Sofia Valdez, Future Prez
Iggy Peck, Architect
Ada Twist, Scientist
Aaron Slater, Illustrator
These books are in heavy rotation for nightly stories and no matter how many times they’re read, both parent and child never seem to get tired of them, that is until the child actually falls asleep! We can’t help but give them high marks.
We give these books a Toastercrumbs Rating of: 5 crumbs